The nobility of the commonplace
I planned to write about each of the 10 types of victories that Doug Phillips mentions in his message, Victories: Moments Large and Small Which Define Christian Parenthood and the first is the nobility of the commonplace. It seemed simple enough and I can think of a hundred different photos that would fall into that category, but the concept was surprisingly hard for me to verbalize.
I guess to me it means glimpses of God’s greatness, His goodness, His sovereignty and His providence in the everyday moments - the moments that we can so easily take for granted.
Ecc 3:10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
It’s about admiring the works of God’s hand with a fresh, childlike wonder.
There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. Proverbs 30:18-19
I think it means seeing the beauty and wonder of God’s creation not only during the spectacular moments, but during the quiet moments, too.
12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 1 Kings 19:12-13
What does the nobility of the commonplace mean to you? Do you have any photos to illustrate it?
next week: the hope of the newborn
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Filed under: Everyday life, parenting
Beautiful… I loved this, I love seeing pictures of your children as well, you have a precious family. Your sweet little redhead, and the boy with the pot is priceless.
beautiful photos.
I thought, at one point, that you had mentioned that although your husband is employed by Vision Forum and Doug Phillips, your family does not necessarily agree with or espouse all of Doug’s beliefs. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) I’m just curious as to the fairly-sudden Doug Philips inundation on your blog…seems like you’re posting much more about Doug and what he thinks than about your family, as you usually do. Any reason why?
(This may sound more accusatory than it’s meant…please assume no accusation, just curiosity.)
Laura,
We do disagree with him on some points, but we agree with him on far more than we disagree. I think he has a lot of wisdom to share and lot of charisma in his presentation. It’s a good mix, and when I make time to listen to his messages or messages by many other speakers (I’m a big fan of Voddie Bacham among others) I find myself deeply impressed by what they have to say.
To me this means that doing things like have an anonymous job or choosing being a stay at home mom has just as much value and dignity as being the country’s president or being admired for a skill well developed such as singing or programing or something like that.
To me I think it means doing the mundane with a thankful heart (ex. cleaning the bathroom cheerfully - I’d rather clean it than use an outhouse) and teaching our kids to be thankful for the common, everyday experiences they are granted. Not all experiences have to be spectacular, memory makers. Often times conversations around the dinner table are more significant memory makers.
There is such overlooked beauty in the everyday… it is easy for me to miss if I do not work to keep my mind quiet and my heart soft (Pics are on my blog.).
From a non-believer’s perspective life is beautiful, too, full of promises of joy and love.
Spring early mornings are among my favourite common places, because they bring a faint scent of summer and warmth… If I could take a picture of such feeling I would post it
Have a wonderful day!
“Earth is crammed with heaven,
and every common bush afire with God;
but only he who sees takes off his shoes.
The rest sit around it and
Pluck blackberries.” ~Elizabeth Barret Browning
Detecting nobility in the commonplace requires that you have been given eyes to see and that you purpose to meditate on His wonders: that which is lovely, true and honorable.